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“Forrest.”
“Em.” I sigh because I don’t want to lie to my best friend, but telling her no gets increasingly difficult every single day.
“We could keep this between us. Just to see where it’s going to go. Maybe you’ll tire of me. I mean, I know you’re not much on relationships.”
“Not because I’m against them, Emerson. I’ve never found anyone worth the effort.”
“Maybe I will be.”
“You’re everything.” I don’t think before I speak, but I don’t want to take the words back either. I mean it. She’s everything. I’ve never felt this way, never been this worked up over a woman, and I know with just the small sliver of contact we’ve had that if I were to ever feel her from the inside, game over.
“You can’t do that.” Her voice is soft, but the emotion I hear tells me she’s irritated. “You can’t say things like that to me. You can’t sit there and tell me that I’m everything but refuse me. That’s not fair, Rome.”
“I know, baby girl, but that’s how it has to be.”
She ignores me. I watch as she closes her eyes and pretends like I’m not sitting right here next to her.
I get back to work and for the rest of the session, she remains still, eyes closed. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was sleeping. When I finish and clean her up, I take the opportunity to stare at her. I meant it when I told her she was everything. I just don’t know how I can have her and not lose my best friend.
If Forrest wasn’t her brother, I would have already caved. I won’t be the reason she loses the only family she has in her life. She has me and the guys, and Monroe, but I won’t come between brother and sister. I can’t.
Her eyes flutter open.
“You can look,” I say, scooting back in my wheeled chair to give her room to climb off the table. I tear off my gloves and toss them on the small stand. I’ll need another pair to clean up, but I can deal with that in a minute. Right now, I need to see her reaction. She stretches and climbs to her feet, and I watch as her bare ass pads across my room to look into the full-length mirror hanging on the wall.
I close my eyes and focus on breathing, but only for a few seconds.
I’m just looking. Looking never hurt anyone. I’m not breaking any kind of rules if I’m just looking.
“Rome.” Her voice cracks. “I love it so much. Thank you.” She rushes across the room and flings her arms around my shoulders. My hands automatically go to the back of her thighs. I’m aware of the fact that she’s naked below the waist, and it wouldn’t take much for me to move my hand a few inches, and I could feel her. I’d bet anything she’s wet for me. She’s just as affected by me as I am her. It’s a curse we’ve both been blessed with.
We both want someone we can’t have.
She pulls back, so she can see my face. Her arms are wrapped around my neck. She remains standing between my thighs, and I don’t let her go. I should, but I just need a little more time. The feel of her soft skin beneath my fingertips is heaven.
“Will you try? For me? Can we just see where this goes?”
“Emerson, if things were different, if Forrest wasn’t your brother, you would already be mine. I can’t risk you losing your family over me.”
“I won’t lose him.” She shakes her head. She’s adamant that Forrest would be okay with us being together, but I have a different opinion on the matter. “This is our choice. Not his.”
“I would risk it for you. I’d risk losing my best friend to make you mine, but I won’t risk your relationship with your brother. I know the bond the two of you have, and I won’t be the reason you lose that.” The thought of him being upset with her, and in turn causing her pain, guts me.
“That’s up to me. If Forrest wants to be an ass about it, then let him. He’s the one that will have to live with the fact that he ruined the relationship with his sister because he’s a stubborn ass. We don’t choose who we love, Rome.”
My heart gallops in my chest. The beat is so fast I’m fearful it might explode.
Love. That’s not a word that any of us toss around casually. Surely, she meant it as a matter of speaking in regard to dating. She’s not in love with me. She can’t be. She needs to save that love for a man who her brother will approve of. One I’ll hate because he gets to be with her and I don’t. One that better watch his back because if he ever hurts her, he’ll have me to answer to.
“He’s protective of you.”
“I know. I love my brother. I’ll never be able to repay him for all he’s done for me, but that doesn’t give him the right to make my choices for me.”
I don’t say anything because she’s right, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be pissed if we were to take this farther.
“So, that’s it. Just no? You tell me I’m everything and that if Forrest wasn’t my brother, you’d risk his friendship. That’s it. No further discussion?”
“We can’t.” Those two words feel like glass slicing my tongue.
